10 Lebanon troops dead, 13 missing in clashes with militants

BAALBEK, Lebanon -- Ten Lebanese soldiers have been killed in clashes with militants near the Syrian border, and 13 more are missing, possibly taken hostage, Lebanon's army chief said on Sunday.

General Jean Kahwaji announced the deaths as clashes between Lebanese troops and militants firing heavy machineguns and mortar rounds entered a second day in and around the town of Arsal in eastern Lebanon.

At a press briefing, Kahwaji warned that the situation was “extremely dangerous” and acknowledged the rising military toll.

“The army has lost 10 martyrs, with 25 more wounded, including four officers, and 13 soldiers are missing, possibly being held prisoner,” he said.

A security source, meanwhile, said that a civilian had been killed by sniper fire inside Arsal, raising the civilian death toll in the fighting to three.

The violence is the worst to hit the area since the beginning of the war in neighboring Syria in 2011.

It erupted after the detention of a Syrian the army said had admitted to being a member of al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.

Kahwaji said the man, Imad Ahmed Jumaa, had been scouting for an attack against the military in the area, and that the outbreak of fighting was premeditated.

The clashes began on Saturday after gunmen angered by Jumaa's arrest surrounded Lebanese army checkpoints before opening fire on troops and storming a police post in Arsal, security sources said.

Two civilians were reported killed, and the gunmen were said to have taken hostage a number of policemen, though there was no immediate confirmation.

'Decisive and firm' Response

The army warned Saturday of the seriousness of the situation and insisted it would “not allow any party to transfer the battle from Syria” to Lebanon.

“The army will be decisive and firm in its response and will not remain silent as foreigners try to turn our land into a field for crime and terrorism, murder and kidnapping.”

The outbreak of violence sparked clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, where Sunni militants who back the Syrian uprising have regularly fought Lebanese security forces and residents from the Alawite sect who back Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

A security source said two soldiers were wounded in Tripoli.

The violence in Arsal prompted the U.S. State Department to urge all parties to respect Lebanon's policy of “dissociation” from the Syrian conflict.

The United States “strongly condemns the attack,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, vowing “strong support” from Washington for Lebanon's state institutions.

The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon also met the army chief on Sunday to express support, the American embassy in Beirut said.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam condemned the Arsal assault as a “flagrant attack on the Lebanese state and the Lebanese armed forces.”